The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Euonymus alatus, burning bush, which has been given the varietal name xe2x80x98ODOM.xe2x80x99
I discovered the original plant of my new variety growing in a ball hole from which a burning bush had been previously removed. My new variety is believed to be either a seedling sport or a root sport. The original plant was discovered growing outdoors in a cultivated area in the corner of a nursery block in McMinnville, Tenn. My attention was drawn to the plant because of its slow growth and compact, diminutive size. My new variety is particularly useful in landscape settings where small, slowing growing bushes are desired.
xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 is an attractive plant that exhibits a slow rate of growth compared to other varieties of burning bush, particularly when grown under nursery and container conditions. Three-year-old xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 plants have only grown to a height of 10xe2x80x3 to 12xe2x80x3 in containers and new beds while maintaining dense branches and leaves. When the original plant of my variety was 12 years old, it was only 30xe2x80x3 high and 4xe2x80x2 wide. The growth habit is dense and of a desirable rotund and slightly flattened shape. The dense habit is due primarily to densely spaced nodes and leaves and also to many multiple breaks from new growth shoots from each season. Insofar as I have observed as of this time, leaves are typically smaller than other burning bush varieties but have the same color and shape as the species. The leaves also tend to hold longer into the fall season when compared to other varieties of burning bush plants I have observed growing in the McMinnville, Tenn. area. Flowers and fruits of my new variety, insofar as I have observed as of this time, are the same as other varieties which I have observed.
The morphological characteristics of the variety xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 described above serve to distinguish xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 from other varieties of burning bush plants of which I am aware. For example, other known varieties of burning bush growing in McMinnville, Tenn., typically reach 10xe2x80x2 to 12xe2x80x2 in height which limits their utility as a foundation landscape plant unless they are heavily pruned.
The new variety xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 has been asexually reproduced at my direction from cuttings in McMinnville, Tenn., and observation of the resulting plants that have been grown in a nursery in McMinnville, Tenn., has proven that the characteristics of my new variety are stable. Furthermore, these observations have confirmed that my new variety presents a new and improved compact growing variety of burning bush plant.
More specifically, my new variety has been asexually reproduced during June through October from 4 to 6 inch long wood cuttings that are treated using a quick dip of 1000-3000 ppm indole 3 butyric acid, napthalene acetic acid. Cuttings have been propagated in a 50% peat/50% perlite mix and straight sand with near 100% success. Typically rooting occurs in 4-12 weeks. All plants of my variety which have been asexually propogated have maintained the characteristic compact, diminutive size and slow growth exhibited by the original plant. Thus, my new variety is stable.
In summary, the new variety xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 is distinguishable from all other varieties of burning bush of which I am aware because it displays a combination of unique characteristics. These characteristics have been stably expressed through several generations of cuttings and, moreover, these characteristics render the plant useful for planting in various landscapes. The following combination of characteristics distinguish the xe2x80x98ODOMxe2x80x99 variety: 1) low growth; 2) dense compact habit; 3) new growth in McMinnville, Tenn., seldom exceeding 6xe2x80x3 per season; and 4) leaves that hold longer in the fall than typical of the species observed to date.
The following is a detailed description of the invention based on plants grown in a nursery in McMinnville, Tenn. Color descriptions and other terminology are used herein in accordance with ordinary dictionary significance unless otherwise noted with reference to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.) It should be noted that color does vary with time of year, lighting conditions, and soil and nutrient conditions. For example, leaf colors tend to be brighter green if the plants are grown in soil with greater nitrogen concentrations, and to be more yellow when grown in soil containing lesser amounts of nitrogen.